All Chapters of Two Can Play: I Became My Ex's Mother-in-law : Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

ClarissaThe door to the guest bedroom swung back, letting in the cool hallway draft.Chloe dropped her canvas duffel bag onto the foot of the mattress, her knuckles red from carrying it up the main stairs. She sank into the edge of the bed, her knees trembling under her grey sweatpants while she rubbed her palms against her thighs."The mattress is soft," Chloe said, her voice small against the tall ceilings of the main estate."It's better than the sofa at the old place," I said, setting her plastic box of prescription bottles onto the nightstand. "You don't have to carry anything else. The staff brought the rest of your clothes up."Footsteps clattered down the hardwood hallway.A middle-aged man in a dark grey cardigan stepped through the open door frame, two young assistants in blue scrubs trailing right behind him. They carried two silver folding cases and a tall metal stance for Chloe’s daily physical therapy routines."Good afternoon," the doctor said, setting his heavy case d

ClarissaLayla tugged at the back zipper of my floor-length black dress, her knuckles brushing against my spine as the teeth clicked into place."Is it too tight?" Layla asked, her breath hitting my shoulder as she smoothed down the fabric over my hips."It's fine," I said, turning around to face the full-length mirror near the closet. "How are you feeling?"Layla looked down at her dark green silk dress, her fingers twisting a gold ring around her index finger. "My hands won't stop shaking. Landon is downstairs waiting in his suit, and I keep thinking about how everyone in that room is gonna stare at us."I reached out, catching both of her wrists and squeezing them tight until she looked me in the eye."Let them stare," I told her, my voice low and steady. "Victoria wants us hiding in this bedroom, biting our nails over some frozen bank account. We walk in there with our heads up. You're with Landon, I'm with Valentine, and nobody in that building gets to make us feel small."Layla

ClarissaThe clock on the dining room wall clicked quietly over to four in the morning.The estate stayed pitch black outside the tall glass windows, cold rain pattering soft against the panes. I sat at the head of the long wooden dining table with a mug of dark coffee resting right next to my elbow. Thick stacks of paper disclosures lay spread out across the dark wood, illuminated by the yellow glow of a single table lamp.Valentine’s private investigator had dropped these files off days ago, right before all the drama with Chloe and the secondary mansion blew up. I hadn't had time to dig into them back then, but now, with Victoria freezing Valentine’s bank cards, I had all the time I needed.I took a slow sip of the coffee, the liquid burning the tip of my tongue, and clicked my red pen open.I turned page after page of Victoria’s old financial disclosures from those five missing years she claimed she spent living alone in small European towns, off basic savings. The court documents

Clarissa The sun cut through the cloud cover, hitting the stone steps leading down into the estate garden.Chloe moved her feet slowly, her sneakers dragging over the gravel path while the physical therapy doctor walked right beside her, his hand hovering two inches away from her elbow. Layla walked on her other side, holding a plastic water bottle and Chloe’s light jacket under her arm."Your stance is way better today," Layla said, matching Chloe’s slow pace. "You're not leaning to the left anymore.""My hips still ache," Chloe said, wiping sweat off her forehead with the back of her wrist. "But the braces aren't digging into my skin like yesterday.""Take five steps to the bench," the doctor said, pointing to the stone seat near the rose bushes. "Then we'll rest for ten minutes before doing the resistance bands."Chloe took five short steps, her knees shaking under her grey track pants, and let herself drop onto the stone bench with a long exhale.I sat down next to her on the ben

ValentineThe white piece of lined paper sat in the center of my desk blotter.The black marker ink bled slightly into the paper fibers, seven words written across the middle. I pressed my thumb against the edge of the wood, my jaw tightening until a dull ache pulsed in my back teeth.Clarissa stood by the side of the desk, her coat still on, her fingers wrapped tight around her paper coffee cup. Her thumb dug into the cardboard sleeve, leaving a deep crease near the lid."Where was it?" I asked, my voice low in the quiet study."Under my driver-side wiper blade," Clarissa said. "We were at the Fifth Street market for twenty minutes. Layla was in the passenger seat when I found it."The paper didn't have a name, but the handwriting was erratic and rushed, pressed down so hard the marker tip had almost torn through the page. The Hudsons were backed into a corner. Victoria's accounts were locked by court order, her bigamy charges were moving through state court, and Drake was broke. Des